Scoring Note: I have graded each field on a scale of 100 for the number of points you can get in each course if you're really good.

Graphics: 92

The graphics in this game look great! It's the first of Mario's games on Super Nintendo that I will say this for. The characters are made well, there are often terrific backgrounds, and there is even the occassional 3D appearance. Don't forget the huge bosses and the nice textures and bright colors. Wow!

Music: 75

The music in this game is fun, like the music for the first course. But there should be more different music files, instead of multiple courses having the same music.

Characters: 95

It's great to see many of Mario's old foes before they became old, now that they're battling Yoshi instead. There are many new enemies too, although I have to ask where they end up in the later games. I would have given a perfect score if each Yoshi had different attributes. All of them are good though, but it would be cool to have different moves in each course.

Story Line: 90

What?! Bowser hasn't stolen the Princess?! Are you sure this is a Mario game? It is great to get to see Mario as a kid (even though he's really annoying), and it's fun to play as Yoshi too. The story helps explain the bond that forms between Mario and Yoshi in Mario World, and also explains why Mario is so messed up. He had a very traumatic childhood.

Comic Relief: 93

This is the first Mario game that I've offered this category for. The game is cute, but not sickening, and it allows for a lot of humorous things. Like, there is this cactus bouncing a ball up and down. Eat the ball, and the cactus gets sad. Or, how about the doodling someone did over a door in Marching Mildre's Fort? Let's not forget the fight against Burt the Bashful and his neck-high pants. The makers must have laughed as they created that battle in an E-rated game.

Terrain: 87

The courses come in lots of different varieties, from grassy to caves, sky to ice. The enemies and challenges match the terrain. However, most of the worlds are not themed within themselves, so points off for that.

Size: 90

At a quick glance this game may not look too big, having only 48 courses and six worlds. Yet, most of those courses are quite large, and the game takes longer if you try to go for the perfect score. For a Super Nintendo game that is not an RPG (which are always longer), the size of this game is quite considerable.

Items: 85

There are some very interesting items in the game, from various colored eggs to items you can collect to transformations. I really like transforming into all the different vehicles. This section loses points because the items don't have a big enough role. Some transformations only occur once or are never required, and you can't use items like POW very often because they are hard to collect.

Control: 100

Simply put, there is no problem with the controls. Yoshi jumps, pounds, licks, and throws perfectly. The game even allows for two different styles of throwing eggs. And Yoshi's Extra Effort allows him to jump very far along a horizontal plane, so he is easy to use.

Difficulty: 95

Somehow when I first played this game I thought it was much harder than it was. I had some trouble in 2-1, and I began to fear the game, since I didn't have any Game Genie codes for it. But when it comes right down to it, this game does an excellent job with the difficulty factor. First of all, the levels increase in difficulty in a linear fashion, so even lousy players will be able to play for a while. Every puzzle has a solution, and every enemy has a reasonable way to defeat or avoid it. Also, Yoshi is nearly invincible. While Mario can only take up to four hits, Yoshi can be hit any number of times as long as he is able to retrieve Baby Mario before the timer runs out. Now, advanced gamers may be disappointed because this game is much easier than Mario World. The catch is, though, if you really want to test yourself you can try getting a perfect score on each level. That means finding and reaching all five flowers and all twenty coins, and managing to find and maintain the 30-Star timer. That can get pretty tough! And if you do it on all the regular courses in a world, have fun with the bonus courses. They're doozies!

Bonuses: 70

The Bonus Games Yoshi can earn in the Goal Roulette or by perfecting a world are clever, and the bonus courses are crazy. There is a secret mode for playing two-player games, the ones you played with Bandit, but they're secret and not all that much fun, so I have to take points away for that.

Replay Value: 90

When you beat this game you probably haven't perfected any of the levels, or maybe only a few of the earlier ones. You still have a long way to go! Don't forget all the secret bonus areas. Can you find all the hidden Winged Clouds and 1-Ups? Even if you get a perfect score you may have missed some stuff.

Fun Factor!: 97

This game is great! It holds up well no matter what angle you look at it. It is easily one of the best games on SNES, perhaps the best platform game ever, and a rival for best Mario game. I somehow forgot about this game when I was debating between Mario 3 and Mario RPG. There is something in this game for every video game lover.

Recommendation:

I didn't get this game all that long ago; it is still pretty easy to find. If you have the time to kill, I think you'll enjoy playing a great platform game that doesn't cost that much anymore but still provides hours of entertainment. And if you already have the game, you might want to check back on those imperfect levels. I am in the middle of perfecting it right now. Do you happen to know where in 4-6 there is a red coin sitting off by itself? I can't find one!

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